Ode to the Seiko Diver

November 10, 2010

I’ve owned quite a few watches through the years. I’ve had dress watches, mechanical chronographs, Swiss automatics, quartz watches with amazing features, solar charged watches, digital watches, military watches and divers. In almost every case, I found something to like. A few days ago though, I realized that of all the watches I own, there were a few “go to” pieces that seemed to get the most wrist time. Those would be the Seiko divers.

I thought about why these particular models were so often the choice of the day and a few observations came to me. First and foremost, they are very tough watches. You don’t really have to think about what you are doing when wearing a Seiko diver. Between their water resistance and the overall ruggedness of their build, it isn’t easy to hurt one of these. When a day out with the kids turns into a day at the pool or beach, a Seiko diver is always game. The reality that you don’t have to baby these watches makes the choice to put one on a no-brainer.

Beyond their ruggedness though, a Seiko diver has a particular look and feel to it. The models I have owned have all exuded a quality that belies their relatively low price. Throughout several of the Seiko reviews that I have written, the comment that they seem more expensive than they are keeps popping up. There are many cheap things in this world that regularly scream at you how cheap they are. Especially as time with them passes. Seiko divers say exactly the opposite. They are an amazing value for the money and they age gracefully even when worn hard.

I can honestly say that if I could own only one watch, either the Monster, 007 or Tuna Can would be it. They are simply that well done.